South City 2 residents complain of sewage overflow

As many as 15,000 residents of South City 2 are irked by the daily sewage overflow in the township. Residents say they are helpless and forced to bear the stench, as their repeated complaints to civic agencies have fallen on deaf ears.

Even 15 years after construction, the sewer lines of the area are not connected to the master lines of the Huda.(Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

As many as 15,000 residents of South City 2 are irked by the daily sewage overflow in the township. Residents say they are helpless and forced to bear the stench, as their repeated complaints to civic agencies have fallen on deaf ears.

Though it has been 15 years since the area was developed, the sewerage is not connected to the Haryana Urban Development Authority’s (Huda) main pipeline.

Residents say sewage is frequently pumped into stormwater drains using diesel motors pumps and there is no sewage treatment plant in the township. Though residents have complained to the Huda, no action has been taken so far.

“The clogged sewerage network has become a perennial problem, resulting in stinking water overflowing on to the main road. We find it difficult to even cross the stretch and it is a health hazard,” Luxmi Krishnan, a block G resident, said.

Adding to the residents’ woes, plots near the township have been converted to low-cost clusters for people who are domestic helps and labourers in the area. The sewage lines of these clusters are also connected to township’s pipeline. There are four such clusters near blocks Q1, D, and H1 with nearly 500 people in each cluster.

“People often do not care about the repercussions of throwing leftovers, plastic bottles and polythene into sewers. The authorities should take action against the offenders, else the residents will keep suffering,” Parul Tiwari, a resident, said.

Every day, residents have to make arrangement to get the roads cleaned. “The builder is not interested in doing the maintenance and residents are forced to pay for everything, including cleaning the sewage,” Ajay Mukhija said.

The developer has not got the necessary clearances to get permission for connecting the sewer to Huda pipelines. “In the morning, when the sewage flows on to the road, we have to call a private contractor to clean it,” Indu Pundir, a block D resident, said.

Residents say though the developer is responsible for providing all basic services in the township, there is no initiative from that side.

“The builder is in charge of maintenance and other services for the first 10 years as per the Huda norms. Roads are to be resurfaced after every five years. But, in our colony, no maintenance work is done and residents are left in the lurch,” Pankaj Thakran, a resident, said.

Residents also blame the lack of coordination between the builder and the town and country planning department for their woes. Builders do not execute the layout plan and development work as per the approved service plan, a resident said.

“There is no mechanism to monitor construction of a colony. In our colony, internal services have not been laid in accordance with the approved service plan estimates. Helpless residents are made to suffer,” K K Singh, secretary of the townhip’s RWA, said.

A Huda official, who did not wish to be named, said that the authority has received complaints from the residents of South City 2. “We will look into the complaints on priority and resolve the issue as soon as possible.”